Liberty and Valor Book Three: Endgame
by thew40
Summary: [COMPLETE] SheRa leads all of Etheria against Horde one last time! But will all survive? Will Hordak be defeated at long last? Please R&R!
1. The Third Meeting

Author's Note:

These characters don't belong to me. They do, though, belong to Mattel. I'm not making any money off of this and so on.

This story is set about six weeks after the final episode of "She-Ra: Princess of Power" - the episode entitled "Swiffty's Baby."

This fic takes place in the same continuity as "Preludes and Beginnings," "The Elfsong of Eternia," "The Crossroads of Destiny," "Prophecy & Change," "Just Another Day," "The Final Adventure," "A Winter's Heart," and "The Shroud of the Horde." It serves as a basic sequel to "Just Another Day" and continues the Destiny series that started with "The Crossroads of Destiny," continued in "Prophecy & Change" and "Just Another Day."

This story is the sequel to "Liberty and Valor - Book One: Hope" and "Liberty and Valor – Book Two: Resistance," which is summarized below.

* * *

Previously:

Frustrated with his many failures, Hordak assembled a brain trust of Hordesmen to develop a plan to defeat the Great Rebellion and conquer Etheria. They did so, under the threat of death, in just under 48 hours. The plan was full proof; even Horde Prime thought so.

Horde Prime then informed Hordak that if his plan did not work, he would be executed. With Prince Zed organizing a massive revolution against Horde Prime, it would serve as an example as to just how ruthless Horde Prime truly was and would help put the kibosh on Zed's resistance.

The first phase of the plan was to find a way into the Whispering Woods. Hordak and Shadow Weaver ventured into the underground to awaken Light-Hope's evil counter-part, Dark-Hope. He-Man and She-Ra stopped Hordak, but until they discovered the not only would Dark-Hope awaken soon, but also that Hordak was given a bit of its power.

Afterwards, the plan was leaked to the Great Rebellion thanks to Angella's spy, Double-Trouble. She-Ra and Angella swore to have the plan unravel. In a manner much like Hordak's, various towns, cities, kingdoms, and peoples from across Etheria were called in for a meeting to discuss just how to counter Hordak's dastardly plan.

A full-scale revolution took place, in which Horde Harbor was destroyed, towns were freed from Horde rule through riots, taxes were halted, and key components to Hordak's plan were lost. While the Great Rebellion dealt with things on Etheria, She-Ra traveled to Horde World to meet with Prince Zed. She was captured, though, and was to be executed by Horde Prime himself. But at that last minute, She-Ra was rescued by the person she least expected: Skeletor!

She then returned to Etheria to aid the gathering of a massive army that would be marching soon to the Fright Zone . . .

* * *

Chapter One - "The Third Meeting"

The hill was well known. Widely considered by the denizens of the Whispering Woods as one of prettiest and among the tallest, it had a spectacular view of the woods. She-Ra stood upon its tall top, blue eyes gazing out at the multi-colored trees and occasional clearings and ponds that made up the Whispering Woods. Her view locked and fell upon a vast collection of flags and tents that laid out around the edge of the Woods.

The vast armies of Etheria were gathered here, 85,000 strong, ready to battle the Horde and destroy them once and for all. Or die trying . . .

Fighters, militias, and armies from Delvan, Lavender Pond and Greenthatch Village, Elberon, Thaymore, Northland, Dyl, Greenvale, Spikeheart, Erelandia, the Twiggets, Blue Mountain, Elfworld, Argo, the Jungle, of the Margicats, Sand Valley, Island Green Kingdoms, Salinius, of the Bibbets and Bibbetland, Castle Chill and the Snow-People, the Manchines, the Harpies, Glacia and the Selkies, Mystacore, and Brightmoon gathered near the edge of the Whispering Woods, ready for a battle that would go down in history.

"I can't believe that they've all come," said a small voice next to She-Ra. She-Ra smiled and looked over. Next to her was a small being in a rainbow-colored jumper with long, blue hair.

"Lookee, this a moment unlike any other," she told him. "A moment that – win or lose – will decide the fate of Etheria forever more. Your people have bared witness to many things. It is imperative that you are here when it happens."

Lookee grinned. "You think we'd stop now? After all this time?"

She-Ra shook her head and smiled. "No, I suppose not. You may want to hide, though, because they're coming up now."

She glanced over and Lookee was nowhere to be found. She smiled fondly and watched as the group walked up the hill and joined her. The sun was low in the sky, just an hour or so after dawn. They would be leaving soon.

The Great Rebellion was suddenly there, standing before her in all their glory. Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Bow, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Glimmer, Castaspella, Frosta, Madame Razz, Broom, Kowl, SeaHawk, Sunder, and Queen Angella all walked up, taking in the fresh air the wonderful view.

"What is you wanted us for?" asked Angella, wings relaxed at her back.

She-Ra smiled, and waved her hand to a large collection of picnic baskets. "Breakfast," she told them all.

Sausages, eggs, flapjacks, flasks of coffee and juices, bacon, berries, jerky, and many other breakfast foods were immediately passed around the group. The ate heartily as the sun continued to rise. They chatted, all of them, about anything but the up-coming battle. She-Ra smiled and took in the sight. She spoke then.

"My friends, my dearest friends," she told them, "it is time I speak to you regarding this battle. We are about to engage in a march to war. A war that will surely change all Etheria in one way or another. And I should tell you that, no matter what happens, I shall always care for you all. You have embraced me a sister, all of you." Her eyes flickered to SeaHawk, to whom she knew that that didn't apply to. "And while I have led the Great Rebellion in victory many times, it would never have happened had it not been for all of you here. We would never have reached this point had it not been for you all here. It would not have mattered if not for all you."

She-Ra pulled out his shield. It was rarely ever used and looked almost new, it's gold radiating the morning sunshine.

"This is the Shield of Grayskull. During the Third Age of Eternia, my ancestor He-Ro used it in battle many times. Last night, I rechristened it. It is now the Shield of the Great Rebellion. All of your names have been etched in it. It is a symbol, a calling for us to rally around and use to protect those to whom evil wishes to strike. Today, tonight, and into tomorrow . . . we face our greatest challenge yet. And for all of you, with whom I have fought alongside, I say now that we will be victorious."

She-Ra raised the Shield of the Great Rebellion and their many fists followed it. Victorious . . . or die trying . . .

* * *

Across the solar system, on Eternia and in the kingdom of Eternos, King Randor stood in his chambers, Queen Marlena by his side. She tightened the chestplate of his armor and patted it. It was thick and hard as ever. 

"That should do it," she stated and kissed him.

"Worried, my dear?"

She smiled a little, a bit of red filling her cheeks. "Always," Marlena replied. "And I'm actually feeling a bit nostalgic."

Randor perked an eyebrow. Another one of those Earth words that didn't make much sense. "What does that mean? Nervous?"

"No no, sweetie," she replied, arms around his waist. "It means that I'm feeling a strong . . . love for the past. I just remember the Horde War . . . or at least, right before it."

"Oh yeah," Randor answered, kissing her nose. "Back in the 'sausage days.'"

"Salad days, dear."

"Yeah, that one."

"It was such a wonderful time. Teelana, Susannah, Stratos, all of us . . . it was a time of my life that I will never, ever forget."

"Changed my life," he said to her. The two kissed one last time and then he pulled away from her. "I need get down there. They're waiting for me."

"Go on, I'll be down in a little bit."

* * *

Not far away, Kathryn and He-Man were sitting in small, closed off lounge. He held her tightly to him, his lips upon hers, huge arms squeezing her against him. She giggled a little when they released. 

"I love the costume," she said, rubbing his thick forearms, then running her fingers across his broad chest.

"So you've said," he replied, running his hands through her hair. "But unfortunately, I need to get a move on. Plus, you don't want to run the risk of someone seeing us like this. You and He-Man having an affair would complicate things for you and Adam."

She laughed a little. "You always make me laugh, you big lug."

"It's what I do best."

"You do other things better."

It was his turn to laugh. He squeezed her hand and the pair began to walk to the door. "Remember what I told you. Adam and Adora are at Castle Grayskull, keeping it safe from Skeletor."

"Right, right."

The pair walked out of the lounge, then He-Man walked off towards the courtyard. Kathryn, though, joined Queen Marlena in the corridor. They walked along to one of the balconies that overlooked the courtyard.

"Your majesty, excuse me, but I have a question for you."

Marlena smiled at her. "Go ahead, dear."

"It's just that, well, you've seen King Randor go into battle many times, right?"

"Far too many."

"Well, it's just . . . I'm very worried about Adam . . ."

She nodded. "I understand. But you should know that He-Man is far stronger and more invulnerable than my husband. It's not just that, though. You have to realize that this isn't about choice. It's about duty. They have duty not just to people in general, but to the ideals of good and justice." Marlena then took a deep breath. "That being said, I'm not going to lie to you, dear. I get butterflies in my stomach every time that they go into battle."

"'Butterflies in what?'" questioned Kathryn.

"It's an Earth expression."

The pair came out the balcony. King Miro stood there as well, as he was helping keep the kingdom safe in the Heroic Warriors absence. Below, in the courtyard, a lyric, chiming song rose out from the Cosmic Key. The Heroic Warriors – being King Randor, He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, Ram-Man, Stratos, Buzz-Off, Fisto, Moss Man, Roboto, Sy-Klone, Rio Blast, Extendar, Snout Spout, Clamp Champ, Rotar, Gwildor, Orko, Stonedar, Rokkon, and Pelicor – entered into the portal that formed from the Cosmic Key.

* * *

They arrived just as the Great Rebellion was coming down the hill. Immediately, both groups halted. That had been, for the past year, a lot tension between both groups. The Spirit of Evil had done a terrible thing, pitting the two teams together. And despite the fact they had worked together again after the event, the tension in the air was quite thick. For a long minute, they both just stood there, staring. 

And then . . .

"Good to see you all," King Randor stated, breaking the ice.

"Likewise," Queen Angella replied, following through. These two had always gotten along.

"A lot things happened between our two groups," He-Man brought up. "A lot which was not our fault. Whatever tension there is between us . . . whatever happened . . . it ends now. We offer our apologies."

He-Man lifted the Battle-Axe of the Heroic Warriors.

"Your apologies are taken. The time for our tensions to end has come. An enemy we are both familiar with must be taken down. The only way to do that is stand together," She-Ra returned.

She-Ra lifted the Shield of the Great Rebellion.

And that was that. The two groups united, as one force of power and strength. Together, heroes and heroines that for so long served on two worlds came together. All those that witnessed this large battalion walk together was filled with the weight of their presence. Strength . . . power . . . wisdom . . . guidance . . .

It was in that moment, as the legion of Heroic Warriors and the Great Rebellion entered into the camp, that all knew that it came down to these people. That if this group could not destroy Hordak and end the Horde's reign on Etheria, no one could.

"Quite the show of force, dear," stated Angella's husband, King Micah.

"Thank you," she replied and turned to King Randor. "This is my husband, King Micah. Micah, this is King Randor."

"Pleasure. The leadership is meeting up front. We're moving out at mid-day."

Randor, She-Ra, He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Angella, Frosta, Micah, Mermista, and Glimmer all went into leadership tent.

An hour later, riders went out along the lines. Tents went down, everything was packed away. She-Ra saddled Swift-Wind. A large herd of Unicorns waited to carry the Great Rebellion onward, all from Unicorn Island – straight from the king himself! Flags unfurled, banners were waved, calls went out. The army began to organize itself, and segmented in the different groups and armies and races of Etheria.

Near the back, there was a pair of huge war machines. One was from Sallies, armed to the teeth – it was to be used for attack, but also doubled as a place for King Mercia's people to rejuvenate, as the whole seashell-shaped ship was filled with water. Likewise, two connected saucers walked on short legs, also well armed and the inside was frigid to serve as a temporary habitat for the Selkies and the Snow People.

"Prepare for departure!" shouted She-Ra.

Kowl flew above them waving a pair of yellow flags, indicating the preparation to march out. Kowl flew back and exchanged the yellow flags for green.

"We go," She-Ra told him.

Harpies screeched as Kowl passed them over. Horns sounded, drums thundered, the army of Etheria marched on to war . . .

* * *

Shadow Weaver, for the past few weeks, had since something moving close to their dimension. But it seemed, at times, to have been deceiving her about its location. However, after a long time of studying its tricks, Shadow Weaver found a way to get a hold of it. 

She sat by cauldron filled with dark power. Her crystal ball glowed brightly next to it. Suddenly, a shadow overcame the crystal ball. It was time. From her fingers danced a smoky kind of spell that reached like vicious claws into the cauldron. The crystal ball began to shake, going to from dark to light as her spell wrestled with the object.

And then . . . there was a sudden clatter. A burst of power roared and the cauldron exploded. The crystal ball fell from the table and rolled across the dark room within Horror Hall. Shadow Weaver was thrown off her chair, which was now toppled onto ground.

She stood up, shocked that it had been so hard to recover. But her eyes widened at what she saw. It was a sword that sat amongst the ruins of the cauldron. It was smoldering, but that was really just from the spell she had used to bring it here.

The sword itself was identical to that of She-Ra and He-Man's. It was the same color of Skeletor's Sword of Darkness, which was violet. But this one had a red jewel on its crest. This was another sword altogether. As her bony hand grasped it, she knew that this sword came from Castle Grayskull. The power matrix was identical . . . and just as untouchable.

As soon as it was in her hand, she knew it was not meant for her. But who then? She was just about to sit down and begin to study it when there was a sudden beeping from her comm-panel.

"Shadow Weaver! Get over here immediately!" shouted Hordak.

She did so. Racing the wind, she arrived at the Fright Zone and entered into Doom Tower. Once arriving, she walked into the throne room, where much of Hordak's headmen stood, staring at a vid-screen.

"What is it? What is - "

But her words vanished from her mouth. An army of considerable size was marching out from the Whispering Woods. She turned to Hordak.

"They are coming here," he answered her unspoken question.

"How soon?"

"A few days. Four, we calculate."

"How are we going to stop them?" asked Manteena.

"An advance army, Hordak?" wondered Scurvy. "I will gladly lead them."

"You are mad," Hordak answered and Scurvy twitched. He wasn't completely healed from the last time he and Hordak had a 'talk.' "This isn't a regular army. The most powerful sorcerers on Etheria are marching with them."

"What do you advise we do, Hordak?"

Hordak snorted. "Gather our forces at the Slime Pit. Make a stand there. We can at least reduce their numbers. Until then, we increase our military might here. Manteena, Leech, Grizzlor – recall all Horde Troopers stationed within heavy rioting zones. Have them split, then. 2/3 to the Slime Pit, 1/3 here. Shadow Weaver, I want those wizards unable to do anything by the time they get here. Scorpia, increase security here. Modulock, I want all Horde Troopers prepared for battle in four days."

Hordak stood to his full height. "The day they enter the Fright Zone will be their last!"


	2. The Slime Pit

Chapter Two – "The Slime Pit"

* * *

Randor had always wondered just why both Eternia and Etheria had a moon named 'Brightmoon.' There were a few cultural theories, but he never really paid much attention to them. Whatever the case may have been, he decided that for the most part, the similar name seemed to bond both worlds.

His eyes gazed along the long rows of tents that quivered slightly in the wind. The army had stopped to camp for the night. They had encountered little resistance, which meant that the worst was yet to come. The road they traveled would take them right through the main entrance of the Fright Zone. Their first obstacle would be the Slime Pit, an ancient city that was partially submerged in a lake of slime. Not an easy task. After that, it was a matter of braving the forces of the Fright Zone and storming Doom Tower.

"Nervous, Randor?" asked a kind voice.

Randor turned and found King Micah standing behind him, leaning against a tree. "A bit," he replied.

"We're more a like than you probably realize, Randor," Micah told him. "Veterans of a Horde War. I hear you were captured for a time?"

"Briefly."

"Yes . . . well, at least they didn't ship you off world." Micah paused. "This is just the same war, Randor. Look at us. We're old men, aren't we? Fighting the same enemy we did when we were younger."

"The Horde is a great evil, that is true, and Hordak . . . seems eternal," Randor commented. "There have been three Horde invasion on Eternia and that's not counting the war he had with the Snake-Men that spanned both our planets." He looked then, straight into Micah's eyes. "And he hurt me greater than any other enemy."

"Adora . . ."

"Yes." He turned away and looked back out at the army. "He took her away from us before she could even know that we were her parents. Raised her as his own. I wasn't even there, you know? When he took her. I was celebrating the end of the war. And then . . . he left the world with her and I wasn't there either."

"And he brought her here," Micah continued. "The Horde, we saw as an interesting gaggle of creatures. They seemed to pose little threat to us. Even asked to take part in a non-aggression pact. Heh. Like we needed it. The Horde merely set up camp in the Darklands and that was that. It wasn't until two years later they started to push outward, expanding their powerbase. I argued against them, but was taken prisoner. I'm proud to say, though, that Brightmoon Kingdom was the last of the kingdoms to fall. I wasn't there either, not when it fell and not when my beloved wife and child needed me the most."

"The Great Rebellion has done a fine job in your absence. You should especially be proud of Glimmer."

"Oh yes, I am. But that doesn't change anything. I should have been more careful," Micah sighed.

"Well, so should I."

Micah smiled. "This is the battle to make-up for all our mistakes then?"

Randor shook his head. "No, not all of them." His mind rolled over Keldor, who was there helping Hordak kidnap Adora. "Not all of them . . ."

"But the big ones, huh?"

Randor nodded then. "Oh yes. The big ones."

* * *

Not far away, Moss Man was admiring a delicate flower. He was aware of all forms of plantlife on Eternia and had – on all trips here – found Etheria's particularly fascinating. Things seemed to work so differently here, too. The plants didn't listen to him. They didn't talk to him. He didn't dare try and control them, though he was sure he could.

A hand touched his shoulder and Moss Man turned back to see Perfuma standing in the moonlight. Perhaps it was the light, but she seemed quite beautiful tonight. Her smile was captivating, and her eyes were bright. He stood up.

"Beautiful," he told her.

"Oh thanks!" she giggled. "I love those flowers. They're called Manlians."

Her hand suddenly waved around them and large patch of Manlians appeared. Moss Man was astounded. If he had been on Eternia and had had done that, he would have heard complaints and shock. But on Etheria, he heard joy and relieve.

A thought then crossed his mind. What if it wasn't a difference in worlds? What if it was a difference in people? Skytree had addressed Moss Man as a guardian and Perfuma as a Beautician. He had never really put a whole lot of thought into it, but what did that mean?

"You look so stressed," she said to him, hands on his shoulders. "Something on your mind?"

"Just the differences between our peoples, is all."

"Oh yeah! Total difference, right? And just look at you and me, you know? I think our jobs are even different."

"Exactly," Moss Man said in reply. "What do you think about that?"

"I dunno. It's strange. Eternia is a very different place than Etheria. Things seem so backwards when I'm there."

"Same here. I can't come to Etheria and make things work like I do on Eternia."

"Wonder why that is," mused Perfuma.

"Don't know, but I think when all this is over, I'd like to find out."

Perfuma squeezed his hand quickly. "Together."

* * *

Further along in the camp, Teela wandered away from He-Man. They had attempted to clear the air a few weeks ago during the previous mission with the Great Rebellion, but things were still tense between the two of them. She settled near a small stream that crossed the large field they were staying that. Teela sat down next to it and listened to the babbling of the water as it made its course.

"Hey."

Teela looked up and saw She-Ra standing above her.

"Oh hey."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not. Have a seat."

She-Ra sat next to Teela and stared into the stream with her. "So what's going on?" asked Teela.

"Oh well, leading this whole big revolutionary army thing, which may or may not meet with certain doom. You know. Same old, same old."

Teela laughed a little and patted She-Ra on the shoulder. "Somebody's gotta do it, huh?"

"Oh yes."

"How have you been? We haven't had a whole lot time to talk since the whole Spirit of Evil incident. I know you were having some post-partum issues . . ."

She-Ra nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't easy, but I got through it. Life goes on, you know? What about you? I heard He-Man pretty much put the kibosh on any chances of the two of you getting together."

Teela sighed and nodded a little. "Oh yes. But it's all right. Like you said. Life goes on."

"Yeah." She-Ra paused. "You know, we picked a good time to do this."

"Why's that?"

"It's a very special week for me. It tends to put me in the fighting mood."

Teela laughed. "Oh, yeah, that ol' bat pig is in for it, isn't he?"

At that moment, a shadow fell on them. He-Man stood there, an uneasy expression on his face. "We have a situation. She-Ra?"

"Coming."

"Do you need my help too?" asked Teela.

"No, we've got it covered," shot He-Man.

She-Ra and He-Man entered the command tent, where the other leaders were gathered. There seemed to be a lot of grim talk as the pair neared the central table.

"The Horde has transferred all Horde Troopers that were on riot duty to the Slime Pit," stated Micah angrily. "As of this moment, there are some 100,000 Horde Troopers waiting for us."

He-Man started. "You're joking, right?"

"Not a bit," grunted King Ahgo.

"All right. Show me a map of the Slime Pit, please," She-Ra stated.

A holographic projection appeared above the table. The Slime Pit was an ancient city, its ruins dripping with slime. Huge vats, pipes, and drains ran all throughout the ruins. They all linked to a huge rectangular tower, the top of which had a huge skull on top. The tower itself sat at the very edge of a ten-mile lake, which was completely filled with slime.

A huge bridge ran across the lake and eventually went to the other side. It would take them right into Fright Zone's wasteland and then . . . to the Fright Zone and Doom Tower itself.

"What do we know about the Slime Pit?"

"The ruins are very old," Fritz, Madame Razz's ex-husband, answered. "Nearly 3,000 years old, according to my sources."

"The lake has been like that for nearly a decade. There is a river that runs into it that is untouched by the slime. For some reason, something in the lake changes it into slime," Sunder continued. "The slime generates the power there."

She-Ra tapped her chin for a long second, then smiled. "I have an idea."

* * *

Early the next morning, the army rode out. By mid-morning, the vegetation had grown stale and brown. They were approaching Darklands, the home of the Fright Zone. When noon came about, the Slime Pit was in sight.

"Take battle positions!" She-Ra commanded and they drew closer and closer to the Slime Pit. Horns blew, drums picked up in pace, banners were waved. She-Ra and the Great Rebellion took their place in the center of the lines.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, a few shots were fired out from the Slime Pit. They fell short, but were still quite destructive. She-Ra ordered a return fire. Laser cannons fired out, striking before the entrance to the Slime Pit.

The army of Etheria picked up their pace, hearts thundering, weapons armed. Explosions began to rumble around them as they came ever closer to the Slime Pit. The first casualties crumbled to the ground. Horde Troopers began to fill the view, lasers firing hard and heating the afternoon air. The occasional burst of flame and smoke noted the pace of battle.

But as explosions blasted across the front of the Slime Pit, no one noticed as someone sneaked by.

* * *

A small transport carrying Castaspella, Madame Razz, Fritz, King Mercia, Mermista, Glimmer, Catillus, Ariel, and a number of Salinius mages and powerful Magicats made for the lake. Along with them were various soldiers from a number of kingdoms. The Magicats did their best to protect it from sight, to make it camouflage with the background.

"Everyone ready?" asked Glimmer as she put the transport down.

"As we'll ever be."

They landed right where the river met the lake. As soon as the transport sat down and they started to exit, they were suddenly visible.

Beams were fired out from Horde Troopers nearby. The transport exploded. The soldiers sheltered the sorcerers and sorceresses, firing right back at the Horde Troopers.

"Keep your head down!" shouted the commander of the soldiers as fire began to rain in from above. A missile fired from his rocket launcher and collided violently with a lookout post eighty feet away.

"Stay below cover," commanded another soldier. "We've got in-coming!"

Three Horde Tanks were rolling forward, blasting at what remained of the transport.

"They really think we're incapable of doing anything, don't they?" asked Castaspella to Madame Razz.

"Let's show them what we can do, my dear," Razz exclaimed.

Razz and Castaspella linked hands and began to mutter a powerful spell. Instantly, a blue light covered them all, and the other magic makers joined. A trio of blue beams went firing out, striking the Horde Tanks. They exploded instantly.

"We're clear," the commander told them. "Thanks."

"Not a problem."

"Let's get to work," King Mercia said to them all.

Stepping over to the river, about five feet from the lake, all of them put the hands in the water and began to unravel a terrible curse . . .

* * *

Horde Tanks, one-by-one, issued out thunderous blasts of energy. Huge explosions roared around Angella's ears as she led her own forces closer to the entrance of the Slime Pit. She put her hand to her earpiece, issuing orders. Suddenly, the two war machines from the Ice-Lands and Salinius fired heavy volleys. The Horde Tanks were rendered into useless, burning scrap upon the deadpan.

"We have them on the run! The forward position is collapsing!" She-Ra shouted, smiling.

"It's not over yet!" yelled He-Man.

She-Ra watched as through the smoke of the destroyed Horde Tanks, a flood of Horde Troopers came rushing out. Bow pulled out a series of arrows, sending them splitting right into the Horde Troopers. By his side, Frosta froze some of them. Sy-Klone, Rotar, and Spinnerella used their wind powers to tear as many as possible apart. Stratos, Pelicor, Buzz-Off, Flutterina, and Sweet-Bee zoomed with the Harpies for an aerial assault, dropping bombs on the Horde Troopers.

Sorrowful unleashed flames while Twiggets and Bibbets tripped up Horde Troopers, often times inflicting a lot of damage. Trolls, Selkies, Snow-People, and Jungle-Men sliced and diced as best they could against the robotic warriors.

But they just kept pouring out . . .

Moss Man and Perfuma used what plants they could to do some serious damage. Man-At-Arms, Loni, Teela, Sunder, and Romeo did their best to blast them out of the existence. Kings and Princes led their forces against the Horde, trying to re-group and hold it all together.

Explosions continued to thunder endlessly around them, some fired from the army, some from the Horde. It all went on without ceasing for even a moment's rest.

* * *

"Don't stop now!" shouted Castaspella.

The river was growing blue as they continued to untangle the terrible curse within the lake. The slime within was churning wildly. Every time they believed that they were close to ridding the lake of the slime, the slime would find a way to push back and return to its previous state.

"This is insane," grumbled Mercia.

"It's the only way, father," replied Mermista.

"One more try, all of you," Razz stated. "One great push and we do this together."

And together they went. Magic and power spilled into the river and went right into the lake. It seemed to work then. A bright silver light flowed up the river where they were. The light formed into an orb. As the water pulsed blue, the orb grew stronger. And then . . . the orb exploded.

A silver wave of light spread out from their location, drifting quickly across the slime-filled lake. The slime spun and churned suddenly, struck with such a powerful blow. The silver light faded as it reached the edges of the lake. But then, the edge of the lake began to glow blue and the slime started to recede. Left in its wake was very pure water.

"We did it! We did it!" shouted Fritz.

Razz smiled at him. "Oh, why did I ever divorce you?"

And then . . . something happened. The slime gathered up in the center of the lake and began to change and shift. The group watched in horror as it secret was revealed to them. The slime grew huge, towering and moving into a terrible shape.

It was alive. The slime had become what looked like wide, bony creature that stood out of the water.

"Fools . . ." it gurgled.

The Slime Creature turned towards to the fighting outside of the Slime Pit's walls. It made a lot burping sound.

"Oh no," gasped Castaspella.

"It's going to unleash itself on the army!" Glimmer yelled. "If it does, the entire army will be under its control! We have to do something!"

"What exactly?" questioned Mermista.

"Fight it," Mercia replied and he dove right into the lake.

"FATHER!"

As the Slime Creature prepared itself for the attack on the army, a huge column of water rose out from the lake. It then took the shape of a man. King Mercia stood in the center, in control of it.

"BEST TO SURRENDER NOW!" the voice of Mercia yelled.

The Slime Creature turned around and faced Mercia in his massive water armor. The Slime Creatures plunged his bony slime hands into the water and immediately began to spread the slime into the water. It spread out in green tendrils, infecting the water. Mercia's water arms already began to lose their shape.

"NO! FATHER! NO!" screamed Mermista, eyes filling with tears. She made to dive in, but Glimmer and Castaspella grabbed her and held her back.

Seeing this, her father was filled with great strength. With terrible strain, the water became blue and he reshaped the arms. He then plunged the great arms into the Slime Creature's chest. The water began to boil at the point of impact, but the Slime Creature's chest began to smoke at the same location. The slime started to lose its consistency and huge drops came flowing off of the Slime Creature, turning into water by the time they met the lake.

"Incredible . . ." muttered one of the Salinius mages.

The Slime Creature, though, still tried kept his basic shape and pushed on of its hands into the head of water figure. Mercia had the expression of intense pain, but he continued to plunge himself deeper into the Slime Creature. It helped, but the Creature was able to adapt, it seemed. The drops were no longer coming off.

And so . . . King Mercia plunged the entire water figure into the Slime Creature. Himself included. Water and slime swirled as the two of them melded. Mermista dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"No . . ."

Silver light began to slip through the strange creature. Then, in a brilliant explosion of blue light, the slime was transformed into water. The two figures were gone, replaced by a dazzling, swirling column of glowing water. Mercia was in the middle, looking haggard and weak, but not willing to give in.

The column of water lifted out from the lake and poured itself into the Slime Pit itself. Water filled the vats and pipes, and flooded most of the Slime Pit. And then, much to the shock of everyone, it left the Slime Pit and curved back right where the army of Etheria was. Horde Troopers were brought right into the huge blob of water.

The water then receded, a very ill looking King Mercia still in its center. The glowing blue water then lifted itself out of the Slime Pit and hovered above it for a moment. With great effort, then, King Mercia pushed the water out of the atmosphere.

He dropped from it as the glob of water left the atmosphere at astounding speed, all of the Horde Troopers within. It entered space and froze instantly.

King Mercia, meanwhile, fell out of it and landed into the lake. As soon as he made contact, Mermista jumped right in. She-Ra and Angella were on the scene immediately.

"What's going on?" asked She-Ra. "What was all that?"

"We fulfilled the plan and undid the Slime Pit's power . . . but it turned out to be alive. Mercia, he . . . he formed this water armor and attacked it," Castaspella explained.

At that moment, Mermista arrived with the body of her father in tow. She was sobbing heavily, stroking Mercia's face.

"He's dead!" she screamed in terrible sadness. "King Mercia is dead! My father died to save us all!"


	3. Catching Smoke

Chapter Three – "Catching Smoke"

* * *

The evening sun was sinking fast. She-Ra watched it go with heaviness in her heart. King Mercia was never one that she got along with. But he was powerful and very passionate about his people. And to lose him was to lose a very strong ally. Her eyes went to Mermista, who sat alone near a large puddle of water. She was strong, and was more than willing to continue on with the fight. She-Ra was proud, but hoped that her passion wouldn't get away with her.

The army regrouped, gathering its strength. The final death count had been 176, which wasn't bad considering just how fierce the fight was. But it still bothered She-Ra to no idea. And this was barely a fraction of the kind of fighting that would be occurring at the Fright Zone.

"You doing okay?" asked He-Man suddenly.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"It's not too late, you know? To turn back."

She gave him a hard look. "Yes it is," she replied sharply. "What's the status?"

"We've secured the Slime Pit. However, it looks like Captain Slime Pig made it out. He's nowhere to be found and we just discovered a missing escape rocket."

"He'll be reporting back to Hordak then."

"Yeah."

She-Ra sighed and put her head in her hands. "Oh, this is hard. This is harder than I expected. I'm not sure we can even do this."

"You can. You have to."

"I know," she answered. She then looked up and watched as the sun dipped down below the horizon. "I know."

* * *

In the pre-dawn hours, the army of Etheria left the Slime Pit. King Mercia's body was taken back by some of his stewards to Salinius in preparation for its burial. Mermista was named queen, though it was mainly unofficial. The army marched on, towards the Fright Zone . . . where the forces of darkness and light would collide violently.

Hordak watched on his vid-screens as the army made for his home. They had gotten past the Slime Pit, but only just barely. But now . . . now Hordak had a new plan. He turned to another vid-screen and watched as nearly all of us Bat-Mechs launched into low orbit of Etheria, sitting above the road that the army would have to take.

"Three hours and I give the order to fire," Hordak told Manteena. "They'll be in position and I'll have them obliterated."

"Yes sir."

"The are feeling victory right now, aren't they? Yes, I'm sure of it. The Slime Pit was set back for us, yes. The Fright Zone will not fall. Doom Tower will not. I will not fall!"

Manteena glanced over at Shadow Weaver. They both shared the same thought. Hordak was acting strangely. Stranger than usual, even. This whole fiasco was obviously causing him to go unhinged. How much longer could they depend on his strategies? How much longer until he finally lost his mind?

A small pad in Manteena's hand started to beep. He pressed a button on it and watched as information scrolled out on the small screen.

"Lord Hordak!" exclaimed Manteena. "An Apocalypse-Class Horde Warship has just entered the system!"

Hordak's eyes went wide. "What!"

"They claim to be reinforcements!"

Hordak smiled darkly. "Have them move into position with the Bat-Mechs. What's their ETA?"

"About two hours, forty-five minutes."

The ruthless leader laughed a little. "Perfect timing."

* * *

Mermista had very little to say as they rode onward towards the Fright Zone. There had been a silent decision to let her broach the subject when she was good and ready. And so, the army carried on, forward to battle.

The land around them had grown desolate. A very thin, unhealthy trees lingered here and there, but for the most part, it was all empty and sad. They walked along on hardpan, following the vaguest sketch of a road to the west. Above them, blue skies were replaced by red, an apparent effect of the pollution the Fright Zone pumped into the air.

"Did you think we'd make it this far?" Bow asked Glimmer, who rode beside him.

"Not a chance, no," she replied quickly. "As far as Great Rebellions go, we were definitely not one. Not in the beginning, at least. But then came Adam and he brought He-Man. Then Adora. And then She-Ra. After all that, freeing Mother and Brightmoon . . . it felt like a dream."

"Sometimes I think it was."

Glimmer smiled at him. "Life is but a dream," she sang.

"I have a bad feeling about all this, to be honest. King Mercia and 175 others are all dead," Bow told her in a suddenly grim voice. "Who's next? You? Me?"

Glimmer shook her head. "Just stay the course, Bow. We stay together and we stay alive."

He nodded. "I suppose so."

* * *

"Horde Warship, please take your position," Manteena's voice called over the comm-line.

"This is Horde Warship Praetor," a young male voice called back, "we are currently in position."

The Praetor Horde Warship moved in perfect line with the Bat-Mechs.

"We are count-down, fifteen minutes from orbital assault," Manteena told them.

"Negative, Manteena," the voice returned.

"What are you talking about?"

"We are countdown fifteen seconds from assault," the voice replied. The man behind it turned to his compatriots. "I love effing with these low-level lackeys." Lord Zed smiled at Grantia and Huntara.

"Praetor – please repeat message!"

"Kiss my ass, lovebug," Zed replied and closed the comm-line.

At that moment, rockets and lasers of all sorts went firing out from the warship. The lasers sliced right through the Bat-Mechs while the rockets just plain blew them up. Within fourteen minutes, there wasn't a Bat-Mech left that could properly fire.

* * *

Hordak watched this all unfold before him. Another failed plan, another ended ploy. He sat there in silence as the punk son of his leader and brother whipped out the last Bat-Mech. Without saying a word, he closed the vid-screen. All of the Hordesmen in the throne room with him stood without moving, barely even breathing.

Calmly, but with tension rising in the room, Hordak snorted and then spoke.

"I want all Horde Troopers brought here immediately."

"The reinforcements from the riots are here already," reported Manteena.

Hordak's eyelids fluttered to contain his fury. "That's not want I mean, you moron. I want every single Horde Trooper on Etheria brought to the Fright Zone. Every tax collector . . . every enforcer. I don't care if they're missing arms or legs or heads . . . I want them here and I want them armed to the teeth." And then, after a pause. "NOW!"

* * *

She-Ra watched as dazzle of golden light appeared in the leadership tent and was shocked to see who it was. Lord Zed stood there, along with Huntara and Grantia. With them were a pair of what looked like a new model of Horde Trooper – complete with new heads, slimmer bodies. Metal armor covered the lower half of their legs, their hands, a v-shape on their chests, and waists. Their heads were small, more human like with a shield along the bottom halves of their heads and neck.

"Good afternoon!" Zed greeted pleasantly.

"Zed!" She-Ra cried out. "I can't believe you made it."

"I did indeed. In fact, I just wiped out a whole armada of Horde Bat-Mechs that were posed in low orbit to destroy you," Zed stated matter-of-factly. He ignored the shocked looks and the questions. "And I've also brought you my own personal army."

He waved to the new Horde Troopers. "These are Horde Peacekeepers. I've got about 25,000 of them just for you."

"They won't try to kill us will they?" asked the Mayor of Eleborn.

"Nope. They programmed to attack just one thing: Horde Troopers."

Glimmer swooned. "I could kiss you right now."

Zed smiled. "Feel free."

She didn't.

* * *

A few hours later, the Army of Etheria continued on its path towards the Fright Zone. She-Ra rode out ahead of the army and saw the large fortress that awaited them. It seemed to be brimming with activity. They were preparing . . . getting ready . . .

"This will be it, Hordak," She-Ra said. "This will be the end of it at last."


	4. At the Doors of the Fright Zone

Chapter Four – "At the Doors of the Fight Zone"

* * *

The advance Horde Troopers and the Army of Etheria came into heavy combat just as the sun rose. Laser fire slammed down Horde Troopers as the Army went forward. Hordak's advance forces were not prepared for Zed's Peacekeepers and therefore, the battle was going rather well for the Army of Etheria.

She-Ra rode Swift-Wind alongside King Randor on a Sky Sled and Queen Angella. The occasional laser beam brushed them, but they were easy enough to dodge. Spread out before them was an army of considerable size, but there was strong feeling of victory here. Randor pressed into comm-link.

"All Air Units, aim for the fuel tanks on the Horde Troop Deployer!" Randor ordered, referring to a tall Horde vessel where Horde Troopers were pouring out from.

"Affirmative," stated the Air Commander.

Missiles and lasers flew out from their right as a wave of Harpies and other soldiers using aireal attacks flew in front of them. The Horde Trooper Deployer exploded and crashed, destroying all the Horde Troopers within and then many more around it.

"Good job," Randor stated.

"He-Man, what's your status?" asked She-Ra.

* * *

"Still moving toward the target, She-Ra," He-Man replied.

Below, He-Man led a unit of Peacekeepers forward. All around them, weapons fire blared in high-pitched whines. The air was filled with energy discharges. Dust from the hardpan was kicked up from explosions and attacks. A group of Horde Troopers held out in front of some of the other units.

As the Peacekeepers laid into the Horde Troopers, He-Man did his own damage. His Sword of Power rendered the Horde Troopers into pieces.

In the near distance, under the dawning sun, stood a tall, rounded tower. It was the last outpost before reaching the fortress. Doom Tower and the Fright Zone itself stood off even further in the distance. He-Man focused much of his anger on it, then charged forward.

"Glimmer! I need some cover fire over here!" He-Man shouted as sudden Horde Trooper fire took down a pair of Peacekeepers.

"Understood," came the reply.

Glimmer, riding a beautiful unicorn, went galloping forward. Behind her were two units of Brightmoon soldiers, who used a combination of arrows and lasers to bring down the Horde Troopers that had He-Man pinned down.

"Thanks," He-Man told her as she passed him. "Battle-Cat!"

His faithful companion appeared and He-Man jumped into his saddle. He then waved his Power Sword forward and the unit followed him. A flash of fire in the air caught He-Man's eye and he saw watched as a few Harpies were killed. He grimaced.

King Randor suddenly hovered next to him.

"I'm moving back towards the assembly area," Randor replied, referring to the bulk of the army, which was still a few miles back. "Man-At-Arms orders."

"Don't worry, sire, you'll get your action."

King Randor smiled and lifted off, turning back towards the back lines.

Nearby, She-Ra came to the ground and joined Frosta and Clamp Champ with their unit of Snow-People. "The forward lines are crumbling," She-Ra said as she slowed down. "But there's heavy artillery behind them. I want you to handle the Tanks."

"Gotcha," Frosta said and she and her people unleashed ice beams at an in-coming Horde Tank.

She-Ra drove away and watched as laser beams increased as both sides moved closer. Horde Troopers along with various other assault crafts were moving forward, taking the place of their fallen comrades.

Troll and Elven units rushed to the front, joining the Peacekeepers, Brightmoon and Ice-People soldiers. He-Man, Glimmer, Frosta, Clamp Champ, Queen Angella, Stratos, and Sunder moved quickly to engage their various units with Horde forces.

A massive Horde Destroyer – used to wiping out villages and town – started to lift off. With a panic, She-Ra was in the air, issuing orders. These were hardly used, and she was still surprised that they hadn't been used during the riots. But they were armed to the teeth.

"Units 9-15, fire on the Destroyer! Units 9-15!" she yelled out through the comm-line.

She swung down and watched as the units under the commander of Castaspella, Mekaneck, Loni, SeaHawk, Baron Condor, and Marcus opened fire. Missiles went sailing through the dusty air and rammed right into the Destroyer. One of the plus things about the Destroyers is its excessive firepower. Though heavily armored, once set off, it was gone.

An explosion that shook the ground emanated from the Destroyer. What remained of it crashed in huge burning heaps of debris.

From the air came a number of Brightmoon's flying vehicles. One such called the Butterflyer landed to release a number of Brightmoon soldiers. However, just as it landed, a Monstroid from the other let lose a series of missiles, completely destroying them.

Queen Angella grimaced and swooped down above the units behind the ones leading the charge. She waved her sword in the air, rallying them. Horns blew. Angella lead them onward.

Explosions ripped through a dozen Monstroids. Butterflyers and Enchantras swept along with Queen Angella, Stratos, Pelicor, Buzz-Off, Flutterina, Sweet-Bee, and a vast number of Harpies. They blasted through what was reforming to become the forward lines.

He-Man and the other units held their positions, finishing off the Horde Troopers that were still on coming. Queen Angella flew over, She-Ra now joining her. They went for the tower, all weapons ready.

"All ariel units, fire at the tower!" Angella commanded.

Lasers mixed with missiles, enchanted spears, and magic beams. They struck the lower half of the tower with intensity. Explosions flared out, crumbling up and down along the tower. The outpost was blasted asunder, and collapsed completely. Huge groups of Horde Troopers were wiped out.

The air filled with intense dust and the ground shook heavily. Explosions roared and He-Man pushed the units belonging to Glimmer, Sunder, Marcus, Fisto, Netossa, and Bow into the dust cloud. Lights danced and splashed before them as the fighting increased became chaotic.

Queen Angella joined them, pushing the Horde Troopers and what was left of the vehicles back. Horde Troopers began to crumble and blow apart from the intense firepower from the Etherian army.

"THEY'RE PULLING BACK!" shouted Mekaneck.

"Affirmative," Roboto reported as he joined He-Man's side. "I am intercepting multiple transmissions, indicating that Hordak has issued a full retreat. All Horde Troopers are to report back the Fright Zone."

He-Man smiled and looked Queen Angella as landed next to him.

"This was only the beginning," she stated. "He-Man, I want you to push the units towards the ravine located about a mile west of here. Hold your position until I can get some replacements. After that, I want you back at the assembly area. We're going to rest, regroup, and then move right to the Fright Zone."

"Understood. Sunder! Marcus! Fisto! Forward!"

* * *

An hour passed. The chaos of battle subsided. The Army of Etheria gathered in the battle zone, reorganized and regrouped. The leadership tent was set-up one last time before the final confrontation at the Fright Zone.

"We have about two hours march until we reach the walls of the Fright Zone," reported Angella. "We've been through the plan, we all agree on it. What do we know about the Fright Zone right now? What is its current status?"

"Hordak has packed in every Horde Trooper available. That's a lot of firepower in there," stated Prince Highcliff.

"With the proper techniques, we may just be able to disable as many as possible," King Varn offered. "But we're still talking about a high count of casualties."

"Agreed, but we've come this far, right?" questioned Chord.

"This is all Etheria has. We throw ourselves into this and we may just win out," added the Bibbet Elder.

"Let's do this then."

A few minutes later, the tent went down. The Army of Etheria was lined up behind its leaders, the Great Rebellion in the front on their Unicorns. She-Ra rode out in front of them, Sword of Protection in one hand and the Shield of the Great Rebellion in the other.

"Time for a great speech, sis," He-Man whispered to her. She smiled.

She popped a small berry in her mouth that would allow her voice to be heard all across the army. She-Ra spoke.

"My friends, my allies! We have gathered together to destroy our great enemy! An invader from another world that has pillaged our world, killed our friends and families, and stabbed us in the back! We have gathered to defeat him! To overthrow his cohorts and to bring about justice to our fine world! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE! TODAY WE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY . . . AND VALOR!"

There was tremendous roar from the crowd. She-Ra was almost bowled over by it's overwhelming sound. She whirled her sword around and pointed to the Fright Zone.

"TO VICTORY! TO VICTORY!"

* * *

The entire Horde gathered before Hordak, ready for their orders. So far, the Fright Zone was locked down. Horde Troopers were on every corner, weapons fully charged. Every defense was on-line. Was it just the waiting game? What did they need to do in the meantime?

"They will be upon us in two hours," Admiral Scurvy reminded him.

"What are your orders, Lord Hordak?" asked Shadow Weaver.

"Fight to your last breath."

* * *

As the noon hour came, so did the Army of Etheria. Dark clouds began to gather above the Fright Zone as they all marched ever onward, divided into units decided by kingdoms, races, and villages. Tanks and other vehicles rode along with them, as did the two war machines that crawled along in the back.

The time came at last. They entered into the dismal shadows of the Fright Zone, the complex fortress of dark tower and bridges, all centered around a dark tower in middle, where Hordak sat, preparing for battle. Thunder rolled in the distance.

An eerie, tense silence filled the air as they came to a halt at the black wall that surrounded the Fright Zone. She-Ra turned to Queen Angella.

"Are you ready?" she asked Angella.

"Yes. And you?"

She-Ra nodded. After popping another berry in her mouth, Swift-Wind rode her up into the air. She was now staring right at the top of Doom Tower. She-Ra could see Hordak standing there, his cape blowing in the wind, the Horde Elite flanking him.

"HORDAK! HORDE! BY THE AUTHORITY PLACED IN ME BY THE PEOPLE OF ETHERIA, I HEREBY DEMAND THAT YOU WITHDRAW YOUR FORCES, RESTORE ALL ECONOMIC PROPERITY, FREE ALL SLAVES AND PRISONERS, AND SURRENDER YOURSELF TO THIS ARMY FOR FAIR JUDGEMENT!"

A voice that She-Ra grew up hearing thundered back. "YOUR DEMANDS ARE MEANINGLESS! PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DEATH!"

She-Ra nodded. "So be it."

She and Swift-Wind zoomed back down to the ground. Horns blared into air, drums pounded. She-Ra heard the shouts from Bow. Archers from Brightmoon, the Jungle, and Elfworld lifted up their bows. Lasers cannons were aimed and catapults were loaded.

"FIRE!" shouted She-Ra.

The air came alive with arrows. The arrows arched over the wall and struck Horde Troopers on the other side. Laser cannons fired as well, energy beams sliced into Horde Troopers all over the wall. Catapults launched, sending enchanted rocks into the towers of the Fright Zone.

The retaliation came fast. Laser beams rained upon them, striking many down dead, injuring several others. The laser cannons fired back, but missile launchers soon took care of that. Some of the were reduced to rubble instantly.

Ice from the Selkies and Snow-People were unleashed, freezing weapons in the Fright Zone. But there was retaliation in return. Huge explosions thundered out as units were cut in two.

"Castaspella!" shouted She-Ra. "We need your spells! NOW!"

"Understood!"

Castaspella raised her hands. Madame Razz, Fritz, Catillus, Wizard, Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and a large number of Magicats joined in. A force field of incredible magnitude appeared, deflecting the laser blasts. Still, it was under heavy fire and while it was up, they could not return it.

"Manchines!" yelled She-Ra, guiding Cutter, Zipper, Bunter, Stringer, Slicer, and Hotwire over to the door. He-Man and Battle-Cat joined them.

"All right, guys, let's get to work!" yelped Cutter.

The group pulled off the huge lock panel to reveal a complex set of wires, clanks, circuits and switches. "You guys can handle this?" asked He-Man.

"Give us a little bit of time and I think we can," Cutter answered.

At that moment, there was horrendous noise. A beam of pure dark magic came slicing through the air and struck the force field. There was a burst of green light and it was ripped in two.

"Hordak . . ." whispered He-Man.

"That power . . . it belonged to Dark-Hope. It's the same signature. He-Man, how was Hordak able to do that?"

"I don't know, but I - "

Before He-Man could say another word there was a tremendous explosion just to the south. All eyes turned to it. Their left flank was suddenly attacked. But by who? It only took a second to realize what had happened.

Standing on a hill about two miles from the left flank was a massive army of Horde Troopers. Roboto rushed over.

"How many of them?" asked He-Man.

"My sensors are currently counting. One moment. Ah yes. He-Man, She-Ra, the number of Horde Troopers gathered their is 945,673."

Battle-Cat muttered two words that defined the moment.

"Holy shit."

He-Man turned to She-Ra, whose jaw was dropped.

"She-Ra . . ."

"I don't know what to do or . . . Cutter! Manchines! Get moving on that door!"

The Horde Troopers – the reinforcements Hordak had called for – started to close in, weapons blazing. The sun seemed to stay in one place as a haze came over the Fright Zone. It was hot as the killing began.

* * *

"Yes!" shouted Hordak, slamming his fist on banister. "I told you recalling them here would be a good idea!"

"I never doubted you, sir," replied Manteena.

"Increase the artillery on the army," Hordak ordered. "I want this finished by sundown."

"Yes, sir, I . . . what?"

Hordak perked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Lord Hordak, I'm detecting . . . something . . ." Manteena replied, pressing a number of keys on the computer in front of him.

"What is 'something?'"

"_Somethings_ would be more appropriate, I think. We may just have a new problem . . ."

And that was when the tide changed. The last holdout came in. The Monstroids flew in, a whole fleet of them, lead by Number One. Immediately, their weapons fired on Hordak's reinforcements. Many of them landed on the Horde Troopers. Some of them their crushing piston fists into the crowd. Others still sliced up the metal warriors. Lasers were fired, blasting the Horde Troopers into rubble.

* * *

"How . . . how did that happen?" shouted Angella, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at He-Man and She-Ra.

Number One then spoke to them over their comm-line. "The variable shifted in your direction."

He-Man perked an eyebrow. "What variables?"

"Us."

He-Man and She-Ra spun around watched as Skeletor, King Hiss, and the full battalion of Evil Warriors, Snake-Men, and even the Meteorbs.

"Well . . . doesn't war make for strange bedfellows?" King Hiss asked with a smile.

"Are you sure you're with us, then?" asked He-Man.

Skeletor stepped forward. "You are forgetting, He-Man, that Hordak is our enemy too."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. How very cliched," She-Ra answered.

"Got it!" shouted Zipper.

The locks came undone. He-Man and She-Ra prepared themselves. The Army of Etheria prepared themselves. The doors came open, the Fright Zone was revealed.


	5. Hordak's Doom

Chapter Five - "Hordak's Doom"

* * *

Everything became a chaotic blur. She-Ra and the Army of Etheria came rushing into a sea of Horde Troopers. Lasers blared, armor rolled along the ground, and the people yelled and roared loudly as the Fright Zone was invaded.

Before she knew it, She-Ra and Swift-Wind were standing at the base of Doom Tower. Beams came flying at them at all directions. Swift-Wind was either able to dodge them or She-Ra deflected them away. Small explosions blasted all around them.

The Army of Etheria spread itself out hard, crashing and smashing heavily into various legions of Horde Troopers. Outside the walls, the Monstroids continued to destroy the reinforcements. The battle was turning, though briefly, in the favor of the Army of Etheria. Laser fire heated the air as the hazy sun continued to arch overhead until it would sank beneath the horizon in the hours to come.

She-Ra lifted the Shield of the Great Rebellion. It was time. Immediately, Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Bow, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Glimmer, Castaspella, Frosta, Perfuma, Sweet-Bee, Madame Razz, Broom, Kowl, and Queen Angella came over to her, the ash-colored stairs of Doom Tower standing behind them. King Randor, King Micah, Admiral SeaHawk, He-Man, Skeletor, King Hiss, and Battle-Cat joined them.

"Remember the plan," She-Ra told them.

"Right," SeaHawk replied.

"Keep fighting until our breath is gone," Angella commanded, wings pulled in suddenly to avoid a stray blast.

"Freedom," Micah stated.

Angella and Micah kissed. Sunder smiled and SeaHawk hugged She-Ra.

"GO!" shouted She-Ra.

The Princess of Power spun around and kicked open the doors to Doom Tower. He-Man, Randor, and the Great Rebellion all came crashing in. Sunder, SeaHawk, and Micah moved away and joined the army outside.

The chamber was filled to the brim of Horde Troopers, all of which were firing hotly at the in-coming warriors. He-Man stood with Randor, deflecting the beams and doing his best to protect the king and keep and eye on King Hiss and Skeletor all at the same time.

Magic came barreling from Skeletor, Castaspella, King Hiss, Madame Razz, Glimmer, and Queen Angella, immediately destroying and defending against Horde Troopers that began their assault. Ice and water came blasting from Mermista and Frosta. Butterflies under Flutterina's influence broke down Horde Troopers at her command. Arrows shot from Bow, ripping right through the enemies. Vines at Perfuma's order wrapped and squeezed the robot warriors.

Swift Wind, Battle-Cat, Sweet-Bee, and Sorrowful engaged the Horde Troopers with brute physical force. In a matter of minutes, the chamber was empty. The sound of heavy boots told them all that it wouldn't be for long.

"This way! Hurry!" She-Ra shouted, leading them to the massive staircase in the center of the chamber. Laser beams from entering Troopers sizzled past, but the Great Rebellion and their allies were able to take them out before any major damage could be done.

They ran up the staircase, all nineteen of them.

* * *

Sssqueeze's long arms reached and his hands tore off the dome-heads of two offending Horde Troopers. The two went down. At his side, Tung Lashor wrapped his tongue around the waist of one Trooper and squeezed. The Trooper was toppled. Snake-Face turned a small group of robotic warriors to stone.

As Kobra Kahn blasted another couple of Troopers with an acid cloud, Webstor came swinging over.

"Good to be fighting alongside you again," Webstor snarled, snaring three Troopers together.

"I have my own loyalties, Webstor," Kahn returned.

"What happened to the loyalty to us? To Skeletor?"

Kobra Kahn showed his fangs.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled Evil-Lynn. "Save your fighting with each other for when we're through with this!"

She then turned on her heel and let loose a powerful bolt at a nearby tower. The tower exploded and crumbled, taking out a dozen Horde Troopers on the ground along with it.

At that moment, Tri-Klops, Trap-Jaw, Karg, Saurod, laid down cover fire for Beast-Man, Clawful, Jitsu, Two-Bad, Whiplash, Ninjor, and Blade to move in. The Horde Troopers were rallying near the fallen tower, but the Evil Warriors and Snake-Men were in motion, tearing into the opposition.

The Heroic Warriors were not far away, battling through four units of Horde Troopers. Man-At-Arms and Teela lead the forces into the seas of domed robots, beating them down at every step. Rio-Blast laid out missiles and lasers, with Clamp Champ at his side, smashing Horde Troopers with his clamp.

Ram-Man smashed into the Horde Troopers, turning them into so much scrape. Fisto, Rokkon, and Stonedar bashed through the lines, one Trooper at a time. Sy-Klone and Rotar used their wind powers to slam Horde Troopers into each other. Man-E-Faces used a combination of monster ferocity and robotic scanning to take down his adversaries. Roboto fired heavily, weapons continuously re-loading.

Branches flew out from Moss Man, sending Horde Troopers into pieces. Mekaneck nailed the Horde Troopers right in their weakest points thanks to his vision. Orko used his magic best he could to blow apart a few Troopers. Extendar and Snout Spout were on the hunt . . .

The strategy was quite simple, really. The Eternians were to head to the north side of the Fright Zone and take out the command center there. They would be flanked by Peacekeepers. The Army of Etheria would handle the south side, since it was a much larger area.

The three forces came together – the Snake-Men, the Evil Warriors, and the Heroic Warriors rode forward, ever towards the command center, a circular complex that branched out from Doom Tower. No one spoke a word as, for the last time, they worked together towards the same goal.

Between laser blasts and brute force, the Horde Troopers crumbled. Monstroids rolled in, but were quickly dispatched thanks for the cannon-totting Peacekeepers.

They reached the massive doors, which were barred and locked. One man could not handle to alone . . . but Ram-Man, Whiplash, Stonedar, and Rokkon attacked with a strong ferocity. The doors were broken down and the group moved in, fending off scores of Horde Troopers. Magic flew from Orko and Evil-Lynn's hands. Lasers carried out from Man-At-Arms, Teela, Tri-Klops, Roboto, Trap-Jaw, Karg, Rio-Blast, and Saurod.

Horde Troopers began to line the ground in huge, broken heaps. The group of heroes and villains rushed down to the main corridor to the central command area. Once more, they barged right through the door, taking down as many Troopers as they could.

The central command area was a huge, round room filled completely with computers that displayed streams of information coming from all over the Fright Zone. From what Man-At-Arms could tell, it also handled security and defenses.

Weapons fired and powers were used as the uneasy allies entered and fought hard against the Horde Troopers that stood within. Modulock, who was apparently in charge, went running towards them in a fury of feet.

He was immediately blasted across the room in an intense spray of water. Snout Spout and Extendar went running towards the bizarre commander. Modulock immediately began to separate himself, trying to become two bodies. Extendar's hand went sailing out and struck Modu in the head. His elongated foot went after lock and rammed him in the chest.

"Squirm all you want," Extendar snarled, landing right in front of the struggling pair. "Your own devices will take you down."

But they were too fast. All ready, Modulock had shifted back into one, unified form. He ducked away from Extendar and made for higher ground. However, Snout Spout's trunk slammed him back towards Extendar. Extendar's fingers snaked out and wrapped around Modulock's body.

"You won't kill me . . ." Modulock told them mockingly.

"Won't we?" asked Snout Spout.

He pulled out a gun and fired.

Modulock's body went stiff and Extendar let him drop to the ground.

"We'd like to," Extendar replied.

"But this statis field will have to due for now," Snout Spout added and put the field projector back into his holster.

Not far away, Man-At-Arms, Roboto, Karg, Man-E-Faces, Tri-Klops, Trap-Jaw, and Mekaneck made for the computers. They went to work at them, shutting the external and internal defenses.

"He-Man, She-Ra – this is Man-At-Arms. The northern command center is secure."

* * *

"This way!" shouted She-Ra as she led the others down a long corridor. They were now halfway through Doom Tower.

Suddenly, as they neared a large chamber, several energy beams were fired. The Great Rebellions and their allies struggled as the volley came upon them.

"Going somewhere?" asked Scorpia, who stood before the Horde Elite. With her were Octavia, Entrapa, Dylamug, Leech, Multi-Bot, Vultak, and Mantenna.

Immediately, the Great Rebellion was in motion. Flutterina, Mermista, Netossa, Sorrowful, Spinnerella, Frosta, Sweet-Bee, and Perfuma moved forward, powers at the ready.

"Go on ahead!" shouted Frosta, sending snow/ice balls at Multi-Bot.

"We'll handle these morons!" followed Netossa, going towards Entrapa.

She-Ra nodded. "Right. Let's move."

The remainder of the group made for the stairs, only fourteen now. Behind, the Great Rebellion engaged the Horde Elite in their greatest battle yet.

Flutterina went sailing towards Scorpia, wings flapping quickly as she descended. She carefully avoided being struck by Scorpia's tail. She spun in mid-air and very quickly slammed her boot into Scorpia's stomach. Scorpia gasped and crumbled back a little.

Her tail swung around, then, and knocked the feet right out from under Flutterina. The butterfly woman went right to the ground. The tail posed upwards and went right to strike. Flutterina's body lit up brilliantly before hand and she was transformed into a small white butterfly.

"You think I still can't catch you?" hissed Scorpia, her pincer catching Flutterina's wing.

Before Scorpia could make another move, a fleet of butterflies appeared and covered her face. Scorpia's stumbled and let go of Flutterina. The butterflies bought Flutterina enough time to transform back into her human form.

"There's one power I think you forgot about," she told the enemy.

Before Scorpia had time to reply, the butterflies were gone and Flutterina's fist slammed right into Scorpia's face. She fell to the ground, defeated.

Not far away, Mermista did battle with Octavia. Mermista did her best to dodge the tentacles of Octavia, but found it increasingly difficult. Octavia was quite fast and Mermista's powers were quite limited outside of the water.

"I hear your father is dead," snarled Octavia, one of her four tentacles nearly catching Mermista's foot.

"I would shut up about that if I were you," grunted Mermista.

"Don't get distracted," laughed Octavia.

Three tentacles came flying out and wrapped around Mermista's waist. She was then hoisted over Octavia's body.

"I'm going to tear you in two," she threatened, one tentacle wrapping around her wrists, another around her ankles. "And when you're dead, I'll conquer your little kingdom and see that it is in ruins on the seafloor. I'll then feed your father's corpse to the sea-sharks. I'm sure they'll - "

In her boiling rage, something snapped in Mermista's mind. Among her abilities was telepathy with the creatures of the sea. It had no effect on those on the surface world . . . but Octavia was not limited to the surface world, was she?

A red-hot spike of telepathic anger shoved into Octavia's mind. Octavia gasped, eyes going wide as her brain flashed with attack.. She went rearing back, hissing as pain throbbed. Mermista instantly transformed her legs into a tail and smacked it into Octavia's face.

Octavia went to the ground, unconscious.

Across the room, Entrapa's long hair strands made for Netossa. However, Netossa was prepared. She pulled out a short-sword and swiped at any that came near her.

"Tell me you got something else going for you," Netossa mocked.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Entrapa replied, smiling. Three orbs came barreling out of Entrapa's pocket, each one producing small fits of electricity. "Something new."

"I see that," Netossa answered. "And I'll raise that."

Instantly, three small rubber nets went sailing from her hand, striking and covering the orbs. The orbs halted in place. Netossa was about to give a witty reply when suddenly, her entire upper body was covered in the fully unfurled fury of Entrapa's hair.

"Hair is a strong thing, missy," Entrapa told her, anger in every word. "Especially when its at my command. Any last words?"

"Yeah," Netossa choked out. "Did you really think I was prepared to face you?"

Netossa pressed a small button on her belt. What could only be described as a huge hairnet came flying out and landed among the mass of hair that was choking her. The hairnet began to pulse and grow, collecting the hair right into it. It was pulled off of Netossa, finally giving her a chance to breathe.

After a few seconds, the hair was contained into hairnet right on top of her head.

"That'll take of you," Netossa said.

Entrapa pulled out a laser then and fired it. Before she could move, Netossa was incased in a block of ice.

"And now for the kill," Entrapa stated with satisfaction.

Before she could, though, a column of fire blocked her completely. Out of the fire came Sorrowful the Dragon, his mouth smoldering.

"Stay away from my friend!"

Just as Entrapa was going to act, Dylamug appeared and blasted Sorrowful into the wall. Entrapa smiled and stepped towards what should have been Netossa's frozen body. It was, however, quite unfrozen. Sorrowful's dragon flame had melted it away - the reason for the column of fire.

A net came flying out, wrapped around Entrapa, and held her tight.

"Now it's over."

At that instant, Dylamug clattered to the ground, his body charred and off-line. Sorrowful bounded over, smiling.

"Good job."

Meanwhile, Spinnerella was doing her best to fend off Leech. Her scarves were keeping him at bay, slapping him back when she spun. But Leech was getting frustrated. At last, he gave up and jumped. A scarf hit him, but he had momentum on his side. He landed and before she could act, her face was covered his hand.

Instantaneously, everything went dark. Her body felt weak and limp. Her knees gave out. Spinnerela's strength was gone and all her ears could hear as she began to lose consciousness was a long, loud 'slurping' sound.

"You chumps are gonna pay!" Leech roared. "Comin' in here, tryin' to stop what's inevitable! You're idiots! I'm gonna drain all your broads!"

"That's not a nice word, chuckles," came the voice of Frosta.

With that, Leech was frozen solid in a huge, tall column of ice.

"Flutterina, get Spinnerella to safety!" Frosta then commanded.

"Get yourself to safety," said Multi-Bot, rushing over, lasers firing.

Frosta fired a stream of ice at Multi-Bot, but the robot split in two so it missed hitting him completely. Before she could follow up, both Multi and Bot were on her. She was thrown against the wall, but managed to get off a quick pair of ice spikes. They rammed right into both creatures, sending them back.

Frosta then finished up by incasing them in ice.

"Whew."

Overhead, Sweet-Bee and Vultak battled. The red-haired bee-girl zoomed from end of the high chamber to the other, avoiding Vultak at every chance. She was relying on instinct the entire time. To her people, flight patterns meant a lot. Carefully calculated strike patterns were a part of her nature.

But Vultak . . . he was no regular attacker. He was a hunter. He was a zookeeper. And most of all, he made sure to learn the nature and instincts of his animals. To him . . . Sweet-Bee was just another animal.

At the precise moment he predicted, Vultak changed course and slammed right into Sweet-Bee. His long, clawed hand tore at her wings. She screamed as her left wing was ripped in two. She fell to the ground, bleeding.

Vultak went for the kill, but his body was suddenly intercepted by Mantenna's. The pair were smashed and together and fell into a great heap on the ground. Netossa finished the job by placing them in a net.

"Nice job, Perfuma," Frosta stated.

"Really, there was no other way to deal with that guy," Perfuma replied, the tree that had tossed Mantenna into the air suddenly regressing back into a seed.

"Take a look at Sweet-Bee," Mermista commanded. "Netossa and Frosta, get these people secure. Prepare to seal the room. As soon as we take care of that, let's get moving. Flutterina, Sorrowful, you'll both need to get Spinnerella and Sweet-Bee back to our triage units."

"The rest us will secure Doom Tower?" asked Frosta.

"Destroy all robots."

* * *

The Fright Zone burned into the evening sky. The weight of the world was on the shoulders of an army that was scattered across a monstrous alien fortress. In its southern half, a battle waged onward. Sunder, SeaHawk, and Micah led the forces of Etheria ever unto war, seeking an end to nightmare that has plagued this planet for far too long.

While the Heroic Warriors, Evil Warriors, and Snake-Men had been sent with the mission to take down the northern half, the army had to deal with the southern half.

The weapon in Mark's hand was getting hot as he continued to fire it. Horde Troopers left and right were going down, but Mark himself was getting tired. His senses felt dull, but he kept on fighting. A few of his men from Greenthatch fought alongside of him, laser rifles firing endlessly.

"Not exactly a vacation spot," grunted Darius of Delvan, his own militia soldiers fighting with Marks.

Mark didn't laugh. He just kept fighting. They were crossing underneath a bridge, laser fire raining down on them heavily. Someone fell, but Mark didn't have time to see who it was. His damn hot laser rifle held all of his attention.

The two units took position between two buildings, safe for the relative moment. Mark turned to see who was missing . . . and spotted Darius' body in the middle of the road.

"Damn it. Give me some cover fire."

"Mark . . ."

"JUST DO IT, DAMN IT!"

The two militia groups fired at the bridge, allowing Mark to run out into the road and pull Darius' body to the relative safety of the alley. Darius was gasping heavily.

"I'm dying."

"I . . . I know . . ."

Darius reached for the inside of his shirt and pulled out a locket. He forced it into Mark's hand. "Give this to my daughter . . . Kristala and my . . . wife . . ." His eyes closed and he gasped hard. "It was such a nice . . ."

Gone.

"Damn . . . damn damn damn . . ."

Just then, dozens of laser beams came screaming towards them. The militia now completely under Mark's command acted quickly, but didn't have to. The groups from Northland, Elberon, and Northland took down the offending Horde Troopers.

* * *

The group in Doom Tower marched down a long corridor that would lead to the staircase to the throne room at the top of the tower. As they passed a dark room, the wall adjacent to the door exploded. The team turned and saw Shadow Weaver, Grizzlor, and Catra waiting for them.

"You'll go no further!" screeched Shadow Weaver, heading right towards them.

A flash of light flared from Castaspella's hands. Shadow Weaver was only slightly deterred.

"Go," Casta told them.

"We'll handle them," Bow added, pulling out an arrow.

"Good luck, mother," Glimmer stated quietly and kissed Angella on the cheek. She then went into the dark room. Madame Razz and Broom also lingered.

From there, the seven left went up the stairs.

Castaspella, as soon as she was in the room, went sailing across it thanks to the Shadow Weaver. She was killed by impacting the wall, but threw a force field around herself at the last minute. The walls exploded as she collided with it and then rolled into the next room. Shadow Weaver followed.

Grizzlor ran right at Bow, fangs glistening in the dark. He roared loudly, eyes wide with aggression. Bow fired three arrows before Grizzlor could move. Smoke stung Grizzlor's eyes and pepper tickled his nose, irritating him to no end.

Catra fired a beam from her laser cannon, but Glimmer missed and returned fire with a beam of magic. The beam struck Catra square in the chest and pushed her back. Catra hissed and pulled down her mask. Her body was transformed into that of a panther . . . that of Clawdeen. She prepared to pounce. Glimmer readied herself, but her concentration was suddenly ripped away by Grizzlor's terrible roar.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU BASTARD!" shouted the wild Grizzlor, bounding at Bow with a sped she had never seen him accomplish.

Bow readied his bow and arrow, but they were ripped from his hands. Grizzlor then sent his others hand across the left side of Bow's face, blood and flesh being tore from the archer's body.

"NO!" shouted Glimmer, emotion and instinct filling her entire body.

She spun to face Clawdeen, magic pouring from her hands. Clawdeen leapt and Glimmer fired right at the face. The mask that transformed Catra was not blasted off. It was shattered. An explosion of power and a loud 'popping' sound filled the room. Catra collapsed in shock.

Glimmer then turned and unleashed her most powerful bolt at Grizzlor, saving Bow's life. Grizzlor against the wall, near the hole into the next room.

Glimmer bent down and propped Bow's head up. A long cut ran from right above his eye, over his eye, and down his cheek. She placed her hand on it and healed it just enough to stop the bleeding and to put him to sleep.

"Oh Bow . . ." she whimpered.

Meanwhile, Shadow Weaver walked into the next room. Her eyes darted along the shadows, searching for Castaspella.

"Where are you?" she asked aloud.

"Right before your very eyes," Castaspella replied.

She appeared in a burst of silver light and let loose a rainbow colored spell on Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver lifted her claw-like hands and deflected it with what appeared to be brown smoke.

"You knew that wouldn't work on me."

"End this," Castaspella argued. "We were friends once."

"The temptation of power ended that. Sacrifices needed to be made. Your friendship was merely the first. Your life won't be the last!"

Power poured from Shadow Weaver's hands. Castaspella threw her hands up and the power curled around a yellow-tinted orb shaped force field that protected her. As the attacked weakened, Castaspella lifted her right hand. Blue streams of energy sired out, arching into the air and striking Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver hissed and slithered back.

But she wasn't done. Green light pulsed from her fingers. Castaspella, at the same time, unleashed a red orb. The two interacted and an explosion of magic blasted from where they both collided. Castaspella went sailing back and smacked against a pillar.

"It is over now . . ."

"Not on life, deary!"

Shadow Weaver spun around - only to get the bottom of a broom in her face. But not just any broom - _the _Broom.

Madame Razz ran over to Castaspella and tossed some sand on her. Castaspella was awake instantly.

"Madame!"

"We need to work together, deary. My knowledge and your skill . . . we may just be able to undo her power!"

"Okay."

The two stood up just as Broom was tossed to the ground. They held hands and linked their minds telepathically. Shadow Weaver sneered and raised her hands.

"The spell of death . . . I have never used it, but now seems like the best time," Shadow Weaver told them, red energy beginning to form between her fingers.

"I don't think so," Castaspella stated. "You've gone too far."

"Life conquers death!" both Razz and Casta said at the same time.

As soon as those words were said, a white light formed around them. It then shimmered and began to expand. They both held out their hands, palms flat facing Shadow Weaver. The white light filled the entire room. Shadow Weaver's death spell vanished and screeched as the white light overcame here.

After a few seconds, the light faded away. Shadow Weaver laid out on the ground, defeated for now.

* * *

About two miles south, near the control center, the bulk of the fighting was taking place. Elves, Sea-Elves, Mer-Folk, Trolls, Twiggets, Magicats, Bibbets, Snow-People, and the Selkies fought tirelessly against the robotic Horde Troopers. With them were the many kingdoms of men: Erelandia, Blue Mountain, Argo, the Jungle, Sand Valley, Island Green Kingdoms, Mystacore, and Brightmoon.

Leading the charge were King Gruff, King Ahgo, King Duplis, King Sprite, Prince Highcliff, King Varn, King Akion, Chord, Jamilla, Tahndi, Prince Orwall, Baron Condor, King Arbor, Bibbet Elder, and King Selkia.

Along with them were the Red Knight, Loni, Catillus, Fritz, Wizard, Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and Romeo. While Loni, the Red Knight, and Romeo used their fighting techniques against the Horde Troopers, magic was in heavy use by all of the others. Spells were cast upon spells, each one tearing through Horde Troopers.

Commanding all of them was General Sunder, King Micah, Prince Zed, and Admiral SeaHawk.

The army itself came upon the command center and it was there that the foursome leading this portion of the campaign saw their targets. Standing at the window in the highest level of the command center were Captain Slime Pig, Admiral Scurvy, False Face, and Dragstor.

"We need to get up there," stated Micah, preparing himself.

"Teleportation," suggested Zed.

"There are magic fields at work that prevent that," Sunder replied. However . . . combined magic may just do the trick."

At their command, Catillus, Fritz Ariel, Norwyn, Arden, and the Wizard were encircled around them. The Red Knight, Loni, and Romeo joined the four as they prepared to teleport. Blue light swirled around their bodies, breaking through the magical fields established to stop such an action from taking place.

Instantaneously, the seven appeared in the command center. Loni, Red Knight, and Romeo were in action at once, blasting away at Horde Troopers throughout the room. SeaHawk put his laser pistol at Scurvy's forehead.

"Your fleet days are over."

"I won't stand for this," snorted Slime-Pig. "TRAITORS!"

Sunder kicked Slime-Pig in the face and sent the small, ugly thing rolling across the floor. However, Dragstor punched Sunder right in the back of the head. Sunder went down. Before Dragstor could move, the Red Knight slammed axe right into the engine on his back.

Loni and Romeo went to work on the defensive weapons for the command center, aiming them at the Horde Troopers below. Scurvy, Dragstor, False Face, and Slime Pig were secured. Sunder came back to consciousness.

"She-Ra, this is King Micah. The southern command center is ours."

* * *

They came to it at last. He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor, King Hiss, King Randor, Queen Angella, Swift-Wind, Battle-Cat, and Kowl were at the top floor of Doom Tower. They encountered numerous Horde Troopers on their way towards Hordak's throne room, but they were easily dealt with.

"Here it is," She-Ra stated.

"Let justice be done," Angella said, readying herself.

"Indeed," Hiss agreed.

He-Man and She-Ra slammed their fists on the doors. They shattered and the group walked right in. It was empty save for Hordak at the top. The lights were dimmed. He was lost in shadow.

"It is over, Hordak," She-Ra told him, leading them all in. "Your Horde Troopers are being destroyed as we speak. Your Fright Zone command centers have been conquered. The Great Rebellion is locking down Doom Tower."

"The lands you once commanded have been freed," Angella continued. "End the fighting now."

Hordak snorted. "I've conquered scores of planets and yet . . . the denizens of Eternia and Etheria have annoyed me the most," he said in a very dismissive manner. "I love that you all gathered here. Skeletor and Hiss . . . my ultimate betrayer and my greatest rival. He-Man and She-Ra, of course, the champions of the two worlds I have attempted to conquer. Reminders of failure, you two are. Queen Angella, representing this fine world. Randor . . . the man seeking revenge for the daughter I stole. Such an assemblage. But let's dispose of the pets, shall we?"

Mantisaur suddenly appeared and went right at Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind. The pair leapt at the horrible creature, but it was much stronger than they expected. They all tumbled into the corridor and battled there.

Immediately after this, Imp appeared and slammed into Kowl. The two rolled out onto the balcony, fighting it out.

"And now . . . for the rest of you."

A pulse of power unlike any they ever felt came roaring from Hordak. Skeletor, King Hiss, King Randor, She-Ra, He-Man, and Angella went flying back, stunned. Hordak stood up from his throne and climbed down the stairs, lights clicking on as he did.

"YOU DARED TO OPPOSE ME!" he shouted. "I AM POWER! I AM _MASTER_ HERE!"

"Only the master of death!" screamed Angella gathering her strength to stand again.

"Oh, and that is true. Funny you should mention that, too. I found just how you discovered my plans. Poor, dear Double Trouble. Be assured she didn't scream . . . until the very end . . ."

"BUTCHER!" roared Angella. Her wings spread out wide and she fired forward, Sword Uriel pointed outward.

Hordak jumped high into the air as she went right to him. Obviously she missed, but she was a master of flight. Hordak landed and she fired a beam of white light right at him. It struck him, but had a diminished effect. He, instead, blasted her. The energy hit her in the abdomen, but traveled along her body until it reached her wings. They burned with the energy.

Hordak then slid forward and pushed her. Angella went sailing into the stairs before his throne, her body weak. She lifted the Sword of Uriel, but Hordak struck it. The blade, which had been a magical weapon for 14 generations, shattered. He grabbed her neck.

"You once told me that you would rather die on feet then live on your knees. So be it."

Before he could act, though, Hordak was pulled back. Angella fell to the ground, weak. Two large arms held Hordak up.

"This trick only really works once, Randor."

Hordak floated up, taking King Randor with him. He then slammed his elbow in Randor's stomach and the king landed. Hordak landed before him, transformed his arms into lasers and fired. Randor's shield blocked them. But before he could lower it, he was telekinetically thrown into the on-coming Skeletor and King Hiss.

A fist ran right up against Hordak's face. He-Man pounded Hordak, fists of fury smashing and bashing the ruthless leader. Since the battle began, Hordak now faced his first serious opposition. He-Man was strong and fast, and was probably among the best warriors Hordak had ever faced.

But Hordak knew how to play dirty. He slammed two energized fists into He-Man's stomach. He-Man was pushed back, but his Sword of Power was out. He slid across Hordak's armor, slicing it open. All it did was expose flesh, but there was a rhyme to the reason.

As He-Man fell back, Skeletor unleashed a volley of energy at Hordak. The Chaos Staff was at full capacity as it struck Hordak. Hordak was now in danger. As Skeletor continued to strike, King Hiss closed in from behind. Snake's wrapped around Hordak as Skeletor's power beam pulsed on. Fangs dug deep into the exposed flesh, releasing their toxins.

"This ends . . ." Hordak snarled. He lifted his hands and small bolts of energy spiraled out and shocked King Hiss. He then turned and tossed King Hiss right into Skeletor. The pair were in a heap on the floor and Hordak reached down and snapped off the top of the staff. The ram's head clattered to the ground.

Hordak then used his alchemy skills to transform the staff. It was black now with a Horde symbol on the top. He then waved King Hiss' wound. The venom vanished from his system immediately. He then looked up to his final enemy.

"I knew you would be last," Hordak declared.

"Your reign, Hordak, it must be stopped," She-Ra responded, braced for battle.

"Never. My legacy shall live on, She-Ra. You can not stop me."

"We have you beaten!"

"As long as I live, I shall never be defeated. And if you kill me, then you will break a sacred vow. And I will have beaten you that way."

Much to Hordak's surprise, She-Ra smiled. "I don't have to kill you, Hordak. I just have to destroy you."

Hordak snarled. He pushed his greatest telekinetic push on her. She didn't budge. He let lose a volley of shots from his arm cannons. The Shield of the Great Rebellion halted them. A stream of energy went firing from his hand. The Sword of Protection merely absorbed and dissipated it.

Hordak rushed forward, new staff at the ready. She-Ra blocked it. Again and again and again. She then began to strike it herself until it was sliced in two. Hordak, then, achieved the higher ground. He unleashed a strike of power that caused the bands on her shield to dissolve. The Shield of the Great Rebellion fell to the floor.

He then fired a beam of pure red energy at her. She-Ra took the brunt of it and was tossed back. She stood up, though, and went to punch Hordak. Hordak grabbed her fist in mid-swing and pulled it down. She-Ra lost her balance and Hordak kneed her in the gut.

She then stood up and swung the Sword of Protection at him. With power flowing around his hand, he smacked her wrist hard enough for the blade to go flying across the room. She-Ra kicked him hard, but if it had effect, she didn't see.

Hordak reached out and grabbed her by the neck. He held her up just as he had Angella. Red energy fumed from his other hands.

"You have been a pest for too long," Hordak told her. "Time to die. Any last words?"

She-Ra looked at Hordak with new eyes. For years, though she fought to deny it, she saw two men in Hordak. The man that practically raised her as his own and the man that was trying to conquer the world. But now she saw only one man . . . a creature of pure, unspeakable evil.

The lifetime of spells, lies, and deceptions came flooding into her mind. Her eyes caught the ones that Hordak kept missing from her life - Randor and He-Man, her father and brother. Kept away so that she could be better than Skeletor, the man standing up with the others.

"Last words?" she managed as tight fingers squeezed her neck. "F you, asshole."

Both feet slammed between Hordak's legs. He yelled out and dropped She-Ra. Fury unbridled came roaring out of She-Ra. Her fists slammed against Hordak in the same manner as He-Man's hand, but these were stronger and the emotion behind them was far greater.

Hordak shoved her off him, but this only gave She-Ra the opportunity to shove Hordak against the stairs of his throne. She quickly lifted the Sword of Protection, pressed her boot against his chest. The Sword of Protection sat right against his neck.

"You can't do it," Hordak said with calm. "You won't do it."

"I . . ."

Two red beams fired out of Hordak's eyes and hit She-Ra. She-Ra stumbled back. Hordak stood up, body brimming with power.

"NONE OF YOU CAN! YOU WON'T KILL ME! I AM A PART OF YOUR LIFE AND YOU ALL **NEED **ME!" Power and energy blared around Hordak. He faced them all. "But I can kill you . . ."

"You will take no more lives, Hordak!" shouted Queen Angella, unleashing all of her power on Hordak.

"You will pay for what you have done to this world and all those on it!" She-Ra added, power blasting out of the jewel of the Sword of Protection.

Hordak struggled against both beams of power, but he found himself ready to strike . . . when suddenly He-Man and King Randor attacked.

"The crimes you've committed on Eternia and Etheria will be rectified!" He-Man declared, energy now firing out from the top of the Sword of Power.

"Your victims have long memories, Hordak," Randor added, firing a laser pistol.

Skeletor lifted up the top of Chaos Staff and channeled his power through it, striking Hordak. He struggled now as the attack continued to increase.

"You had this coming," Skeletor assured him.

"For centuries," King Hiss continued, blasting Hordak as well.

"No . . . NO! NOOOOO!" Hordak roared and cried out.

It was all churning around him. The power of Grayskull, the power of Angella, Hiss, and Skeletor. The power of Dark-Hope. His own power. All of it. It exploded, fumed, swirled, and roared around Hordak's body, building within and outside of his body.

And then . . . it all reached critical mass.

The explosion was purely magical. Nothing physical was destroyed. Doom Tower shook though, much to the attention of the Great Rebellion. And the pure display was something to be witnessed. The top of the Doom Tower filled with elaborate colors and patterns. Energy and light flashed out the windows.

It was all over then.

Hordak sat on his knees, powers burned out. Around him stood the people his life had touched the most.

"His power is gone," Skeletor remarked.

"Let usss kill him then," King Hiss said.

He-Man, Randor, and Angella blocked their way. "No," He-Man commanded.

"We are better than him."

Skeletor scoffed. "You may be."

"Surrender, Hordak," She-Ra ordered.

"Never . . ." he coughed. A spit of a wad of blood and stood up, trying to walk to his throne. She-Ra's eyes narrowed. She grabbed Hordak's shoulder, turned him around, and punched him across the face. Hordak fell unconscious on the stairs.

"Everyone out," She-Ra commanded.

"What!" Hiss balked.

"You heard me. Out."

"She-Ra . . .?" Angella questioned.

She-Ra remained stern. "He's the only one that can shut down the Horde Troopers. We need that to happen immediately."

Randor stepped over to her. "What makes you think you make him do that?"

"Trust me."

"Yes," He-Man stated. "Trust her. Come on."

They all filed out, joining Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind, who had effectively defeated Mantisaur in the corridor. He-Man took a look at She-Ra before he replaced the doors.

Two minutes later, Hordak awoke. He felt worse than he had ever imagined it would. His power was sapped. Every part of his body was sore. He turned to face his attackers, though, but was surprised to find that only one person stood before and she was not among those that battled him.

"You . . ."

"Force Captain Adora, sir," said the blonde that he helped raise. "Reporting for duty."

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

LOOK FOR "LIBERTY AND VALOR - BOOK FOUR: AFTERMATH" COMING SOON!


End file.
